Our Memorial Brick Plaza celebrates the lives of many veterans who served in World War II and/or subsequent wars and conflicts. Six commemorative bricks donated by Colorado Springs resident Anthony N. (Tony) Woloch memorialize the service of five dear veteran family members who survived war and one of their friends who did not.

The January Newsletter described the lives and service of three of these men, all of whom served in the Royal Canadian Air Force in World War II.

Two of the other three men described here served in the Royal Canadian Army in WWII, and one served with the U.S. Army in Vietnam.

* Michael “Mike” Wilk, one of Tony’s dear uncles, was born in Ukraine in 1924. Orphaned at age 13, he immigrated to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, where he was adopted by relatives. He spoke Ukrainian and Polish and learned to speak English.

In November 1941, Mike volunteered for the Royal Canadian Army. He was assigned to the 112th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery of the 6th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment of the Royal Canadian Artillery, equipped with Bofors anti-aircraft guns. Mike became a gunner.

Soon after Japan invaded Kiska and Attu in the Aleutian Islands, Mike’s unit was deployed to Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Shortly thereafter, it moved to Annette Island off Alaska.

On 30 October 1942, the 112th was redeployed to Great Britain -- but Mike didn’t go because his superiors discovered he was only 17 years old, and thus under age. He was transferred to the infantry and sent to the U.K. in November 1943.

On 9 June 1944, three days after D-Day, Mike, then 19 years old, landed on Juno Beach, Normandy. He was ahead of his old unit, the 112^th, which arrived on 9 July, 1944.

Mike became a rifleman with “A” Company of Regina Rifle Regiment of Canada, the “Regina Johns” or A-RRR. They were part of the 7th Canadian Brigade, 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, 1st Canadian Army, British 21st Army Group.

“After heavily laden Mike disembarked his LCA [landing craft], and while he quickly waded through to shore, he was being shot at by German snipers,” Tony said Mike told him later. “Uncle Mike had noticed all these brown logs in the water, and he wondered what those were. He was told that those were his fellow comrades killed by the enemy as they landed earlier.”

That same night, enemy tanks and grenadiers attacked Mike’s unit. “The enemy tanks were very close to Uncle Mike as he lay quietly in the dark for hours behind cover and camouflage but he fortunately survived that and more to come,” Tony said.

Had he been captured by the fanatical German 12th SS Panzer Division, most of whose junior enlisted men came from the Hitler Youth, Mike would likely have been murdered. They murdered an estimated 156 Canadian POWs following D-Day. Twenty were executed at the Ardenne Abby Massacre near Caen.

Mike was injured during one patrol and hospitalized for three weeks. By the time he was released, his unit had moved on, so Mike was reassigned to “B” Company of the Queen’s Own Rifles Regiment of Canada (B-QOR), 8th Canadian Brigade, 1st Canadian Army.

After landing on Juno Beach on D-Day, QOR fought through Normandy, Northern France, Belgium and Holland, where they liberated vital ports. During his combat trek, Mike rose to the rank of Corporal (Section Leader).

He was also a champion boxer. In postwar Europe, on 23 August 1945, he won the heavyweight boxing title of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division Championships, NW Europe.

After the war, Mike and thousands of other Canadian soldiers returned to Quebec. In February 1946 at age 21, he was honorably released with 50 months of military service.

Mike settled in Windsor, Ontario, where he met and married his dear wife Natalia (younger sister of Tony’s Dad, Anthony Joseph Woloch) and together raised three children. Mike preferred not to talk about the war, but sometimes would recount harrowing experiences when asked.

Mike had a distinguished 35-year career with distiller Hiram Walker and Sons, Ltd., retiring as chief photographer.

In November 2014, Mike peacefully passed away, just five days short of his 90th birthday and five days after Canada’s Remembrance Day, November 11.

* Andrew Woloch, an older first cousin of Tony’s Dad, was born in Cleveland in 1915. In 1912, his family had left their home in Galicia (i.e., Ukraine, which was annexed by Poland after WWI) and sailed to the U.S., but decided to return to Ukraine in 1920 when Andrew was five years old.

In 1937, at age 22, Andrew returned to the U.S. and got a job as a baker at Wonder Bread in Detroit. He was drafted by the U.S. Army in about June 1941.

Andrew was eventually assigned to Reconnaissance Company of the 81st Armored Regiment of the 5th Armored Division (5AD). He became a Tech 4 Sergeant and was part of the original cadre that formed the division.

The 5AD initially prepared to fight in North Africa, but its focus changed to Europe after Germany’s Afrika Korps was defeated. It was reorganized into an agile, light armored division comprising three Combat Commands, A, B, and R each of which had a tank battalion, an infantry battalion, an artillery battalion, and separate companies of reconnaissance, medical and engineer troops.

Andrew was reassigned to Assault Gun Troop “E” of the 85th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron Mechanized (CRSM), which included armored halftracks and jeeps. The CRSM’s heaviest weapon was the 75mm M8 “Scott” Howitzer Motor Carriage.

The division sailed from New York on 10 February 1944, arriving in England on 23 February. As a cook and cross-trained soldier, Andrew was among those who landed at Omaha Beach, Normandy, on 27 July 1944.

The 85^th CRSM went into combat on 2 August 1944. Its first commander, Lt. Col. Kent Fay, was killed on 30 August. Its second commander, Maj. John P. Gerald, was killed on 17 October. Its third commander, Lt. Colonel George C. Benjamin, survived the war.

The 5AD fought in many battles, including Normandy, St. Lo, Avranches, Le Mans, Argentan, Falaise, Belgium, Luxembourg, Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge.

On 11 September 1944, it became the first American unit to enter Germany. On 12 April 1945, it was the first Allied unit to reach the Elbe River, and later the first to meet elements of the Soviet Army at the Elbe.

Andrew was fluent in Ukrainian and Polish, and may have known some Russian. He may have been a helpful translator and co-host in that historic linkup.

With the end of fighting, soldiers of Andrew’s unit went to temporary camps in France, and then to the port of Le Havre. On 1 October 1945, they departed, arriving in New York nine days later.

Andrew was honorably discharged in October 1945. He returned to civilian work at Wonder Bread, and together with his dear wife Stella raised their two children.

Andrew died in September 1973 at the age of 58.

Tony at one point talked with various WWII E-85th CRSM veterans. He said they clearly remembered Andrew and “had fond memories” of him. “He was a good army cook and they especially enjoyed eating his delicious pastries,” Tony said.

Tony visited with former PFC Stanley Kozyra and his wife Stella before they passed on. Stanley was the youngest soldier in 1st Platoon of E-85th CRSM.

Stanley recalled a delicious wild-boar feast that had been prepared by Andrew and others in post-war Germany. Stanley had photos to prove it, including some of Andrew with fresh cutlets laid out for barbeque. In one photo are several young German children eagerly standing by with their eyes on the meat.

One member of Tony’s family served with the U.S. Army in Vietnam:

* Fred R. Rymar, Tony’s father-in-law, was born in 1942 in La Plata, Argentina, and grew up in Berisso. At age 19, he immigrated to the U.S. and lived with his aunt and uncle in Illinois.

At age 21, in February of 1964, during the Vietnam War, Fred was drafted by the U.S. Army.

In February 1965, Fred and 4,000 other soldiers sailed to South Vietnam.

At Cam Ranh Bay, which was still undeveloped as a U.S. military base, Fred went ashore aboard a landing craft. U.S. military intervention in Vietnam ramped up In 1965. It created new military installations, many at Cam Ranh.

Fred was a Specialist SP4 E-4 (T) attached to 611 Ordnance Company, 1st Logistical Command Vietnam. He served as an ammunition storage specialist at various bases.

Fred survived the war and returned by air to San Francisco.

At age 23, Fred was honorably discharged from the Army and returned to Illinois. He applied for and obtained U.S. citizenship and married. Together with his dear wife, they raised five children. Fred retired from a long management career in various fields of manufacturing.

Volunteer Herb Goldstein passed away January 25, 2021. Steve Clark, volunteer coordinator, said Herb joined the Museum in May 2018 as a Docent and then transferred to the Cleaning Team to help with Covid-19 sanitation efforts.

Herbert Lewis Goldstein was born January 4, 1932, in Colorado Springs, according to an obituary in the Gazette newspaper. It said he "graduated from Main High School and attended Colorado A&M." He "met his wife Sally Meyer when she was a camp counselor at Quarter Circle H Ranch in Woodland Park after his return from service in the Air Force during the Korean War," the obituary said. "They married March 25, 1955, in Houston, Texas, and were married for 65 wonderful years."

The obituary described Herb as "a proud American patriot, entrepreneur, business man and real estate investor." It said he was "Chief of the Broadmoor Fire Department in the early 1970s and served on the department's board until his death." Herb "was a member of the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo ramrod committee from 1958 until the mid '90s" and an active member of the Shriners.

"His personality and humor could light up any room," the obituary said. It said Herb "was happiest when he was playing polo, grilling his world-famous ribs, spoiling his dogs, driving his '34 Ford, riding historic trains, visiting museums, being with this family, and traveling with his wife."

Herb is survived by his wife Sally, son Brad, and granddaughter Lauren, the obituary said. "Please keep them in your prayers during this difficult time," Steve Clark said. A private celebration was scheduled for family and friends.

We are proud to announce that Kevin McLaughlin of the Gift Shop Team was selected by the Museum Awards Committee as the Volunteer of the Year for 2020.

Membership includes unlimited admission to the museum, subscription to our monthly newsletter, special events updates, and a 10% discount to the museum gift shop.

Rich Tuttle

Docent